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Quantitative Assessment Of Bullet Fragments In Viscera Of Sheep Carcasses As Surrogates For White-Tailed Deer, Luis Cruz-Martinez, Marrett D. Grund, Patrick T. Redig

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Avian scavengers, such as bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), can be exposed to lead through the consumption of spent lead from ammunition in carcasses of animals shot with lead-based projectiles. Few studies have examined the degree of bullet fragmentation in viscera (offal) of game mammals. Our objective was to quantify the number of bullet fragments deposited in sheep carcasses shot with different types of lead and lead-free, high-velocity centerfire rifle bullets and with lead projectiles fired from shotguns and muzzleloader rifles marketed for hunting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We hypothesized that after controlling for velocity, angle of …

Characterizing Nontarget Species Use At Bait Sites For White-Tailed Deer, Brent Bowman, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Deborah Martel

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Baiting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has evolved into a controversial issue of wildlife management. During August–September 2012, we established a grid of 64 cameras in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at sites baited with corn that simulated legal bait sites for white-tailed deer to characterize presence, diversity, and frequency of species use. We detected >20 species of wildlife that visited bait sites. We categorized 3,177 of 11,194 images as independent detections (i.e., species detected >1 hour apart). White-tailed deer had the greatest detection rate (47%), but overall detections of nontarget species was slightly greater (53%). Most frequent nontarget …

Winter Habitat Associations Of Blackbirds And Starlings Wintering In The South-Central United States, Matthew Strassburg, Shawn M. Crimmins, Patrick C. Mckann, Wayne E. Thogmartin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Birds can cause extensive crop damage in the United States. In some regions, depredating species comprise a substantial portion of the total avian population, emphasizing their importance both economically and ecologically. We used the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count data from the south-central United States and mixed-effects models to identify habitat factors associated with population trend and abundance for 5 species: red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), Brewer’s blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), and European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Overall, we found positive associations between bird …

Bioaccumulation Of Mercury In Wilson’S Snipe From Alabama, Lindsay J. Brooks, Joshua W. Campbell, Julia W. Murphy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mercury is a persistent, toxic heavy metal that can bioaccumulate in organisms, causing diseases and other health problems. Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata) feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates, which makes them prone to mercury bioaccumulation. In this study, we measured total mercury in Wilson’s snipe. Total mercury was measured in the feathers and muscle tissue. Mean concentration (ppm ± SE) of mercury was 1.33 (± 0.22) and 0.087 (± 0.03) in the feathers and muscle tissue, respectively. Mercury concentration was significantly higher in feathers than muscle. Our data indicate that Wilson’s snipe, an aquatic-invertebrate predator that bioaccumulates mercury from …

Antifungal Amphiphilic Aminoglycoside K20: Bioactivities And Mechanism Of Action, Sanjib K. Shrestha, Cheng-Wei Tom Chang, Nicole Meissner, John Oblad, Jaya P. Shrestha, Kevin N. Sorensen, Michelle M. Grilley, Jon Y. Takemoto

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

K20 is a novel amphiphilic antifungal aminoglycoside that is synthetically derived from the antibiotic kanamycin A. Reported here are investigations of K20′s antimicrobial activities, cytotoxicity, and fungicidal mechanism of action. In vitro growth inhibitory activities against a variety of human and plant pathogenic yeasts, filamentous fungi, and bacteria were determined using microbroth dilution assays and time-kill curve analyses, and hemolytic and animal cell cytotoxic activities were determined. Effects on Cryptococcus neoformans H-99 infectivity were determined with a preventive murine lung infection model. The antifungal mechanism of action was studied using intact fungal cells, yeast lipid mutants, and small unilamellar lipid …

The Utah Statesman, October 7, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Utah State Magazine, Fall 2014, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

Calibration Of Neon's Airborne Imaging Spectrometers, Nathan Leisso, Thomas Kampe, Bryan Karpowicz

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale ecological observation facility currently under construction by the National Science Foundation (NSF). NEON’s mission is to enable understanding and forecasting of the impacts of land-use change and invasive species by providing the infrastructure and consistent methodologies for the collection of continental-scale ecological data. The Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) will play a unique role in scaling individual in-situ measurements collected by NEON to those collected by external satellite-based remote sensing systems. The airborne payload consists of the NEON Imaging Spectrometer, a waveform LIDAR, and a high-resolution digital camera integrated into a Twin …

Hunter-Gatherer Inter-Band Interaction Rates: Implications For Cumulative Culture, Kim R. Hill, Brian M. Wood, Jacopo A. Baggio, A. Magdalena Hurtado, Robert T. Boyd

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Our species exhibits spectacular success due to cumulative culture. While cognitive evolution of social learning mechanisms may be partially responsible for adaptive human culture, features of early human social structure may also play a role by increasing the number potential models from which to learn innovations. We present interview data on interactions between same-sex adult dyads of Ache and Hadza hunter-gatherers living in multiple distinct residential bands (20 Ache bands; 42 Hadza bands; 1201 dyads) throughout a tribal home range. Results show high probabilities (5%–29% per year) of cultural and cooperative interactions between randomly chosen adults. Multiple regression suggests that …

Ruminant Self-Medication Against Gastrointestinal Nematodes: Evidence, Mechanism, And Origins, Juan J. Villalba, James Miller, Eugene D. Ungar, Serge Y. Landau, John Glendinning

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Gastrointestinal helminths challenge ruminants in ways that reduce their fitness. In turn, ruminants have evolved physiological and behavioral adaptations that counteract this challenge. Ruminants display anorexia and avoidance behaviors, which tend to reduce the incidence of parasitism. In addition, ruminants appear to learn to self-medicate against gastrointestinal parasites by increasing consumption of plant secondary compounds with antiparasitic actions. This selective feeding improves health and fitness. Here, we review the evidence for self-medication in ruminants, propose a hypothesis to explain self-medicative behaviors (based on post-ingestive consequences), and discuss mechanisms (e.g., enhanced neophilia, social transmission) that may underlie the ontogeny and spread …

Antiviral Activity Of Favipiravir (T-705) Against Lethal Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection In Hamsters, Dionna Scharton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a severe disease affecting both humans and a number of agriculturally important livestock species. The causative agent, RVF virus (RVFV), is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, with transmission also occurring by exposure to infectious aerosols and direct contact with infected body fluids such as blood. Presently, there are no licensed vaccines or medicines to prevent or treat severe RVFV infection in humans. Favipiravir (T-705) is a novel compound licensed for the treatment of influenza in Japan and presently in Phase III clinical trials in the US, which has demonstrated favorable activity against an attenuated strain …

Evaluation Of Pro-Inflammatory Biomarkers As Potential Early Indicators Of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (Ards), Makda Solomon Gebre

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Infections with the 2009 pandemic influenza A(HlNl) virus often leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in high-risk patients. In these patients, ARDS has a mortality rate of 40-50 % [1]. Patients may die before any intervention is possible since there are few if any early biomarkers that are indicative of ARDS and can be used for diagnosis. In a search for biomarkers that signal early disease progression in mice, multiple acute phase proteins involved with inflammatory responses to infectious stimuli were proposed. Three biomarkers were evaluated for this project. These included C-reactive protein (CRP), Serum Amyloid A (SAA) and …

Bartonella Prevalence In Fleas Isolated From Populations Of Uinta Ground Squirrels In Logan Canyon Utah, Raddison Veater, Lise M. Aubry, Susannah S. French, Laine Anderson, Scott A. Bernhardt

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Preventing Parasites: Developing A Deworming Protocol And Screening Animals At The Willow Park Zoo, Sydney Greenfield

Biology Posters

The primary object of this project was to research AZA and American Association of Zoo Veterinarian guidelines, write up a deworming protocol and schedule for the zoo, and finally begin screening collection animals.

Effects Of Exploitation On An Overabundant Species: The Lesser Snow Goose Predicament, David N. Koons

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Invasive and overabundant species are an increasing threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning world-wide. As such, large amounts of money are spent each year on attempts to control them. These efforts can, however, be thwarted if exploitation is compensated demographically or if populations simply become too numerous for management to elicit an effective and rapid functional response.
2. We examined the influence of these mechanisms on cause-specific mortality in lesser snow geese using multistate capture–reencounter methods. The abundance and destructive foraging behaviours of snow geese have created a trophic cascade that reduces (sub-) Arctic plant, insect and avian biodiversity, bestowing them …

Survey Of Canada Goose Feces For Presence Of Giardia, Christopher R. Ayers, Christopher S. Deperno, Christopher E. Moorman, Henry H. Stibbs, Angela M. Faust

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As resident Canada goose (Branta canadensis) populations increase throughout North America, so do the health and environmental risks associated with goose feces. Previous studies suggest that goose feces may be a conduit for transmitting Giardia, a protozoan that is parasitic to humans. We surveyed fecal droppings from free-ranging resident Canada geese for Giardia spp. at 9 sites in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) of North Carolina in 2007 and 2008. Samples (n = 234) were tested using the ProSpect® Giardia EZ Microplate Assay, and there were no positives. Our results indicate that risk …

Morbidity And Mortality In Reptiles Presented To A Wildlife Care Facility In Central Illinois, Anne E. Rivas, Matthew C. Allender, Mark Mitchell, Julia K. Whittington

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We examined morbidity and mortality of 200 reptiles, representing 13 different species that were presented to the University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC) from 2003 to 2010. Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentine; n = 46), box turtles (Terrapene sp.; n = 43), painted turtles (Chrysemys picta; n = 37), and red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans; n = 33) were the most frequently seen species. Turtles were significantly more likely to be presented to the WMC following collision with a motor vehicle (n = 73) than any other reason, including idiopathic trauma (i.e., …

Forecasting The Spread Of Raccoon Rabies Using A Purpose-Specific Group Decisionmaking Process, Aaron M. Anderson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Richard B. Chipman, Todd Atwood, Tyler Cozzens, Frank Fillo, Robert Hale, Brody Hatch, Joanne Maki, Olin E. Rhodes, Erin E. Rees, Charles E. Rupprecht, Rowland Tinline, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Dennis Slate

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and USDA Wildlife Services (WS) have been involved in an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program for raccoons (Procyon lotor) that has slowed the westward spread of raccoon rabies. The objective of this study was to forecast the spread of the disease if an ORV zone was not maintained. A group decision-making process was designed to address the forecasting problem and was implemented using a group of 15 experts and 4 support personnel at a meeting at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center. Ten expansion regions were constructed that described the spread of …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Water Resources And Corresponding Adaptation Strategies Of The Nam Ngum River Basin, Laos, Dumindu Lasitha Jayasekera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Nam Ngum River Basin (NNRB) in Laos has received attention of foreign investors due to high hydropower development potential and low per capita electricity consumption. The NNRB is rapidly developing due to its hydropower generation potentials while water demands will increase for agricultural and domestic purposes due to population increase and land-use changes. Water availability conditions will be affected with the increasing water demand and climate change may worsen the water availability conditions. Climate is often defined as the weather averaged over time whereas weather describes atmospheric conditions at a particular place and time in terms of air temperature, …

Female Elk Contacts Are Neither Frequency Nor Density Dependent, P. C. Cross, T. G. Creech, Michael Ryan Ebinger, Kezia R. Manlove, K. Irvine, J. Henningsen, J. Rogerson, B. M. Scurlock, S. Creel

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Identifying drivers of contact rates among individuals is critical to understanding disease dynamics and implementing targeted control measures. We studied the interaction patterns of 149 female elk (Cervus canadensis) distributed across five different regions of western Wyoming over three years, defining a contact as an approach within one body length (∼2 m). Using hierarchical models that account for correlations within individuals, pairs, and groups, we found that pairwise contact rates within a group declined by a factor of three as group sizes increased 33-fold. Per capita contact rates, however, increased with group size according to a power function, such that …

Elk (Cervus Elaphus) Seasonal Habitat Selection In A Heterogeneous Forest Structure, Jesse N. Popp, David N.C. Mcgeachy, Josef Hamr

Aspen Bibliography

Seasonal habitat selection by the reintroduced Burwash elk population, approximately 30 km south of Sudbury, Ontario, has been analysed in order to assist in the development of future management. Twenty-five adult females were radio-collared and tracked 1–3 times a week for 3 years. The most prominent patterns included selection of intolerant hardwood forests (trembling aspen, white birch, and balsam poplar) during all seasons, while Great Lakes-St. Lawrence pines (white and red pine dominated stands) were used less than expected based on availability for all seasons. The selection patterns are likely associated with seasonal climatic conditions and forage preferences. Because the …

Liberalis, Summer 2013, Utah State University

Liberalis

Freedom to Think, Discover, and Create. The alumni magazine for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State University.

Introducing A Rigid Loop Structure From Deer Into Mouse Prion Protein Increases Its Propensity For Misfolding In Vitro, Leah Kyle, Theodore R. John, Hermann M. Schätzl, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Faculty Publications

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPc) into the disease-associated isoform (PrPSc) that has increased β-sheet content and partial resistance to proteolytic digestion. Prion diseases from different mammalian species have varying propensities for transmission upon exposure of an uninfected host to the infectious agent. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a highly transmissible prion disease that affects free ranging and farmed populations of cervids including deer, elk and moose, as well as other mammals in experimental settings. The molecular mechanisms allowing CWD to maintain comparatively high transmission rates have not been determined. Previous …

Developing Virus-Like Particles As High-Density Photoreporting Platforms Using Noncanonical Amino Acids And Click Chemistry, Mark T. Smith, Bradley C. Bundty

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Light-based imaging and microscopy techniques are compelling diagnostic tools that provide straightforward data. Furthermore, single-particle targeting and tracking has the potential to provide new insight on myriad phenomenon, such as small particle diffusion, particle-membrane interaction, single-particle microfluidics, and many aspects of microbiology and physiology. However, limitations exist in current technologies’ ability to achieve tracking of individual nanoparticles due to inability to sufficiently label or stain single targets with traditional probes. This work proposes a method to overcome probe density by creating individual probes based on virus-based nanoparticles densely decorated with many reporter probes. We present the steps to produce such …

Nutritional And Economic Analysis Of Small-Scale Agriculture In Imbabura, Ecuador, Jake Erickson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Intervention projects in the developing world normally aim to satisfy either the nutritional needs of a group, or advancing the economic stability, but not both. One of the many issues that may arise by narrowly focusing and creating an aid program is that although a group may be fed, they are not equipped to mitigate risks that will arise after project completion and thus continue or revert back to a malnourished state. A bridge is required to join the economic and nutritional programs to create aid interventions that are sustainable past the point of donor separation.

This paper proposes the …

Characterization Of Lactose Monolaurate For Its Antimicrobial And Emulsification Properties And Its Effect On Crystallization Behavior Of Anhydrous Milk Fat, Ashwini Wagh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major class of synthetic emulsifiers used in food is sucrose esters. However, the use of lactose esters in foods is not very well known. Lactose monolaurate was characterized in our laboratory with respect to its antimicrobial, emulsification and fat crystallization modifier properties. The benefits of this study were multifold. A single compound was explored for multiple functionalities. Enzymatic synthesis and characterization of lactose monolaurate was carried out in the laboratory using food grade solvents. This process utilized lactose, a major byproduct of the dairy industry which is cheaper than sucrose.

In the first study, lactose monolaurate was explored for …

Development Of A Genetic Marker To Differentiate Between Pulex Irritans And Pulex Simulans, Colby Russell Kearl

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Pulex irritans and Pulex simulans are zoonotic flea vectors of plague and other infectious diseases. P. irritans have historically been known to use carnivores as a host, while P. simulans primarily parasitizes omnivores. To fully understand arthropod-borne infectious disease transmissibility and potential for geographical spread, it is important to differentiate between these two flea species. Traditional taxonomy uses the flea's male morphological features to distinguish species. There are no observable morphological differences between the female P. irritans and P. simulans. Molecular markers of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) have been successfully used in other insect organisms to differentiate …

Patient Perspectives Of Nutrition In Healthcare: An Exploratory Study, Matthew Gary Petersen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Healthcare is one of the most debated and controversial issues facing our nation and the world today. From availability to affordability, healthcare influences the lives of millions of people daily. For more than a decade the World Health Organization has called for an integrated approach to improve global health by improving patient adherence to prescribed treatments. Despite this, very little improvement has been made in adherence trends since the 1980's. Some current research has focused on improved adherence through an understanding of the patient's perspective of healthcare. By understanding how the patient sees healthcare, physicians are able to provide more …

Escherichia Coli: Levels Found In Suva Water And The Implications To Fijians: A Case Study Of The Vatuwaqa River, Hesper D. Kohler

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Urban migration is causing a high increase in the population of Suva, Fiji, and the population is growing at a rate that exceeds development planning and infrastructure. Several squatter settlements are established within the city limits where raw sewage, containing infectious pathogens and diseases, is released into the waterways. This study focuses on the area accumulation of the pathogenic bacteria from fecal contamination in the form of E. coli down the Vatuwaga River. E. coli is used as a water quality indicator because, if it is present, other possible pathogens and viruses such as cholera and salmonella could be present. …

Use Of Exposure History To Identify Patterns Of Immunity To Pneumonia In Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Raina K. Plowright, Kezia R. Manlove, E. Frances Cassirer, Paul C. Cross, Thomas E. Besser, Peter J. Hudson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Individual host immune responses to infectious agents drive epidemic behavior and are therefore central to understanding and controlling infectious diseases. However, important features of individual immune responses, such as the strength and longevity of immunity, can be challenging to characterize, particularly if they cannot be replicated or controlled in captive environments. Our research on bighorn sheep pneumonia elucidates how individual bighorn sheep respond to infection with pneumonia pathogens by examining the relationship between exposure history and survival in situ. Pneumonia is a poorly understood disease that has impeded the recovery of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) following their widespread extirpation in …